Degreasing machine



0t 17, 1944- J. E. vEToRlNo DEGREASING MACHINE Filed Sept. l5, 1942 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY Oct. 17, 1944.

J. E. VETORINO DEGREASING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. l5. 1942 INVENTQR /QfBYm/W ATTORNEY Oct. 17, 1944. J. E. vxjzToRlNo 2,360,379

DEGREASING MACHINE Filed Sept. l5. 1942` 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Z QIJVENTOR.

A M l ATTORNEY Oct. 17, 1944. y a J. E. vEToRlNo 2,360,379

DEGREASING MACHINE Filed Sept.' 15. 1942 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Fig- 7 lNVENTOI ATTO R N EY DEGREASING MACHINE Filed Sept. 15. 1942 5 ,Sheets-Sheet 5 B @ww/@vu ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 17, 1944 DEGREASING MACHINE John Enos Vetorno, Fairhaven, Mass., assignor to Continental Machinery Co., Inc., New Bedford, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application september 15,194.2, serial No. 458,430

(ci. ssi-so) 15 Claims.

The present invention relates to degreasing machines, and more particularly to machines for degreasing hides, skins and the like. The present application is a continuation-impart of application Serial No. 389,633, led April 18, 1941.

A type of degreasing 4machine in common use comprises an inner perforated drum or cylinder the opposite flat end walls of which are provided with two alined shafts, each journaled in a separate bearing. The drum is swung back and forth about these bearings in a stationary cylinder or casing that contains the liquid with which to degrease the hides in the inner cylinder. The skins, hides and the like are introduced into the inner drum or cylinder through an opening in the cylindrical wall of the inner cylinder, which opening is closed, during the swinging operation of the inner cylinder, by a door. The contentsv of the inner cylinder, after degreasing, are removed through ,the same opening.

The outer cylinder or casing is also provided with an opening. It is through both these openings, when alined, that the hides or skins may be introduced into the inner -cylinder or removed therefrom. In order that the opening-of the outer casing may be above the level of the liquid contained therein, it is positioned at or near the top of the machine. Thishowever, is awkward and inconvenient for the operator, who must usually get up on a ladder or other perch to reach the openings.

It has accordingly been proposed, Vin certain types of machines, to position the alined doors at an end Wall, instead of at or near the top, of the cylinder. To bring this about, however, it is necessary to do away with one of the previously described two alined end-wall shafts, and to rely for support upon the other shaft alone. This, however, introduces new diiculties, arising out of the necessity for supporting the cylinder at one end wall only. The proposals heretofore made for reducing this concept to practice have involved providing an elongated bearing, or a plurality of bearings, for the single remaining endwall shaft. For very small machines, this has to some degree, though not completely, solved the problem. For larger machines, however, such as are employed in degreasing, this solution of the problem is a complete failure, owing to the unbalance produced in the machine by the overhanging load imposed by thecylinder on the bearing or bearings for the single remaining shaft.

An object of the present invention is to Provide a new and improved machine of the abovedescribed character that shall .have particular application in connection with the degreasing of hides, skins and the like.

Another object is to provide a new and improved degreasing machine the cylinders of which are open-ended.

With `this end in view, a feature of the invention contemplates counterweightingthe inner cylinder to remove its unbalance. According to the specic embodiment of the invention that is illustrated and described herein, two cylinders are mounted upon the respective ends of an intermediatelyvjournaled shaft, each cylinder serving as a counterweight for the other.

It is preferable to degrease the skins or hides in the Wet state, just as they come to the operator after prior steps of operation. This avoids the necessity of wasting time and effort in first drying the skins or hides, and it also results in producing a superiorleather. Wet skins or hides, however, unlike dry skins or hides, can not be degreased with the aid of ordinary degreasing solvents, except in the presence of an emulsifier, becausethe solvents can not penetrate the aqueous solutions with which the Wet hides or skins are impregnated.

A further object of the invention, therefore, is to provide a new and improved machine for degreasing the hides or skins by tumlbling them in a solvent containing an emulsier.

The inner `cylinders or drums of the degreasing machines may be provided with .cleats or shelves or baffles that project into the cylinder from the walls thereof and that, during the rotation of the cylinder, engage the hides or skins to carry them upward ashort distance along one side of the inner circumference ofthe drum. After they have traveled this short distance, the hides or skinsv drop to a lower part of the cylinder. he of alternately large and small size, so that the large bales may have more effect in raising the contents of the inner cylinder, leaving it to the smaller bafes to receive the falling contents from the larger baffles and then to impart to them a further raising movement of smaller magnitude.

The cylinders may be actuated by a single motor through the 'common shaft upon which they are mounted. If the-large bales were alined in the two cylinders, the load imposed upon the motor would `be very uneven, as it would involve first lifting the hides or skins caught up .by the large bailles, and then those caught by the small lbailies, alternately.

These cleats or shelves or vbaiiies may According to a further feature of the present invention, however', the large baffles of one of the cylinders are alined with the smaller baffles of the other cylinder, thereby producing a more evenly distributed load upon the motor.

After the degreasing operation, and after the degreasing fluid has been drained, the further difficulty remains of removing the residual traces of solvent still remaining in the skins or hides. Very effective drying of the degreased skins and hides may be effected with the aid of heat and a vacuum, and it is very desirable that this be effected in the same machine, without the necessity for transferring the degreased hides or skins to a different machine.

It is still another object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a new and improved machine of the above-described character for drying the skins or hides after the degreasing operation.

To this end, the machine may be provided with means for subjecting the skins or hides to the action of a vacuum. and for applying a heattransfer medium to the degreased skins or hides during the application of the vacuum.

Other and further objects will be explained hereinafter and will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims. It will be understood, moreover, that the machine of the present invention may be employed also for other purposes than for degreasing, as for washing and drying laundry or fabrics, or for tumbling or treating other materials.

The invention will now be more fully described in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a View, partly in side elevation, partly in vertical longitudinal section, and partly in transverse section. of a degreasing machine embodying the invention in preferred form, the longitudinal section being taken upon the line I-I of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows, and the end doors of the inner cylinders being shown closed; Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section taken upon the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 3 is an end view of the inner end of one of the inner cylinders or drums, the end view being taken upon the line 3--3 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows, and showing a shaft in section; Fig. 4 is a side elevation of one of the cylinder stub shafts; Fig. 5 is an end view of the shaft shown in Fig. 4; Figs. 6, '7 and 8 are views, upon a larger scale, of detalls illustrated in Fig. 1; and Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic view of apparatus that may be employed in connection with the machine illustrated in Figs. 1 to 8 to degrease hides, skins or the like.

The hides or skins to be degreased are introduced, in the wet state, in a suitable closed airtight degreasing machine. The preferred degreasing machine is shown provided With an upright outer closed, stationary, generally cylindrical, casing or housing having a centrally disposed section I9, bounded by oppositely disposed end walls I6 and I"I. Axially alined cylindrical end-section chambers 5 and 6 are disposed at the respective ends of the centrally disposed section, the end-section chamber 6 beyond the wall I6 and the end-section chamber 5 beyond the wall I1. The end-section chambers may be termed combined degreasing-and-drying chambers, as the degreasing and drying are both performed while the skins or hides are still contained therein.

The walls I6 and I1 are respectively secured to the end sections 6 and 5. Circular or cylindrical angle-iron reinforcing rings or bands Il, L- shaped in cross-section, are Welded throughout to the respective walls I6 and I'I of the end sections 5 and 6, in axially alined relation the-reto. Gaskets (not shown) may be interposed between the iron rings I I and the walls I6 and I1, respectively, to render the joints tight. Circular or annular bolting-ring members 202 are welded along their inside edges to the inner surfaces of the centrally disposed section I0. Weld joints are shown in the drawings black or by crosses.

The centrally disposed section I0 is illustrated as further provided with aV lower side-segment portion I2, of rectangular cross-section, that is secured in any desired Way, as by welding, to a base I5 by which the centrally disposed section I0 is thus directly supported. The side segment I2 is secured, as by Welding, to the annular members 202 which, in turn, support the side walls IB and I'I. 'I'he end sections 5 and 6 are supported directly by portions I4 and I3, respectively, that slantingly project outwardly up from the base I5. The end sections 5 and 6 are further indirectly supported, however, by machine screws or bolts 9 and 8 that, extending into the bolting-ring members 202, secure them to the centrally disposed section I Il.

The Wall I6 is shown carrying a bearing 3| and the wall I'I a bearing 32. 'I'he bearings 3I and 32 are oppositely disposed in the centrally disposed section I0 coaxially with the cylindrical sections 6, I0 and 5. A shaft 29 is horizontally journaled in the bearing 3|', on and to one side of the centrally disposed housing section IIJ, and a shaft 30, alined with the shaft 29, is journaled in the bearing 32, on and to the other side of the centrally disposed housing section I0. ends of the shafts 29 and 30 are adjacently disposed, as shown more particularly in Fig. 1, and their outer ends project through sealed openings in the walls I6 and II, respectively, beyond these walls, into the respective end sections 6 and 5.

Inner perforated drums or cylinders I8 and I9 are respectively fixed to the outer ends of the shafts 29 and 30. The cylinder I8 is thus axially journaled to rotate with the shaft 29 in the end section 6 of the housing, and the cylinder I9 is axially journaled to rotate with the shaft 39 in the end section 5 of the housing. The cylinders are thus axially alined, and each is provided with an inner end wall 39 and an outer end Wall 40. As will be more fully explained hereinafter, the outer ends of the shafts 29 and 30 are xed to the respective cylinders I8 and I9 at their inner end walls 39.

The inner end of the shaft 29 is shown in Fig. 1 disposed Within a split hub 23. The inner end of the shaft 30 is similarly shown disposed within another split hub 28 that is alined with the first-named split hub 23. The alined split hubs 23 and 28 are secured together into a unitary hub structure by means of bolts passing through pairs of alined bolt openings 25, one opening 25 of each pair in each of the split hubs 23 and 28. After the alined shafts 29 and 30 have been mounted in this unitary split hub structure 23, 28, with their inner ends adjacently disposed,they are securely fastened therein in any desired'manner, as by means of bolts extending through alined bolt openings II'I in the ends of the respective split hubs 23 and 28. To guard against accidental rotation of the shafts 29 and 30 in the hubs 23 and 28, a key 38 may be inserted in splines 3'I in the shafts and corresponding splines 2 in the hubs.

The inner f The shafts 29 and 30 become thus rigidly coupled together intermediately between the cylinders I8 and I9 to rotate as a unitary shaft in the bearings 3| and 32, which bearings serve, in ef fect, as a single or unitary bearing structure for this unitary shaft 29, 30. The advantage of using two shafts 29 and 30, instead of only a single shaft, is to facilitate disassembly, for purposes of repair. The rotation of the shaft 29, 30 may be effected by means of a driving gear Wheel 21 that is fixed to the unitary hub structure 23, 28 so as to rotate between the bearings 3| and 32. The gear 21 is shown as driven from an electric motor 2|, mounted upon a non-cylindrical upper portion 20 of the centrally disposed housing section I0. Through belts 22., the motor 2| drives a pinion 26 that, mounted upon a drive shaft 24, meshes with the gear 21.

The combined degreasing-and-extracting cyliners I8 and I9 are thus detachably secured together coaxially, in back-to-back spaced-apart relation, so as to rotate about their common horizontally disposed shaft 29. 30. each cylinder being carried by its shaft 29 or 30 at its inner wall 39. It is in these perforated drums or cylinders I8 and I9 that the hides or skins are con.- talned during both the degreasing and the drying operations. They may therefore be termed combination tumbler-and-extractor cylinders.

Rotation of the driving gear 21 by the motor 2| is thus communicated, through the unitary shaft 29. 30, to the inner cylinders I8 and I9, which are thus likewise rotated in unison. The machine is thus in perfect balance, each cylinder i8 are I9 serving as a counterweight for the other. It is not necessary, therefore. to supply the outer end walls 40 of the cylinders I8 and I9 with bearing shafts, or the outer walls of the end sections 5 and 6 with bearings for such shafts. and this even though the cylinders may be of considerable size, say, sufficiently large to carry a load of from seven hundred to a thousand pounds each. It is accordingly possible to provide these outer walls 40 each with an axially disposed circular opening 4I, and the outer walls of the end sections 5 and 6 each with a concentrically disposed axially alined opening 42. The hides, skins, and the like, may be inserted into the respective perforated cylinders I8 and I9. and removed therefrom, through these two pairs of alined registering openings or orifices 42 and 4I.

Each opening 42 may be closed. during the operation of the machine, when the hides or skins are tumbled, by a frusto-conical door 44. hinged at one side, and provided with means for holding it securely in place at its other side. An annular projection 52 in eachopening 42 is adapted to engage a compressible ring seal 60 that is disposed in a circular recess in each door 44, as shown more particularly in Figs. 1 and 7. Each door 44 is provided, along its periphery, with a cylindrical projection 6| that, when the door is closed, is disposed in a cylindrical projection 58 mounted correspondingly along the periphery of the corresponding opening 4 I.

In order that the cylinders I8 and I9 may be enabled the better to carry the heavy loads contained therein, without destroying theirbalance. and Without the necessity for employing any additional bearings at the outer ends of the cylinders, it is desirable to reinforce their inner end walls 39. As these end walls 39 are duplicates. it will suffice to describe one only. According to the specific embodiment of the invention that is illustrated andV described herein, each end wall 39 is reinforced by a circular spider |00 that is held securely thereagainst by rivets I0 I.

As shown more particularly in Fig. 3, this spider comprises radially disposed reinforcing T- beams |02 that are welded at their outer ends to the inner walls of an outer ring |04 and at their inner ends to the outer walls of a concentrically disposed inner bushing |06. The T-beams are shown in Fig. 1 adjacent to the walls 39. Six such T-beams are illustrated, with adjacently disposed T-beams reinforced by connecting L-beams |08. The bushing |06 is welded to the inner ends of the T-beams |02 'both directly, and also through the medium of an annulus |0. Radially disposed lugs or fins II3 are welded to the T-beams |02 at the faces thereof, opposite to the faces that carry the legs of the Ts and also to the outer surface of the bushing |06. The lugs I|3 are shown in elevation in Fig. l and by dotted lines in Fig.

y3. The shafts 29 and 30 are shown each extendv ing through two annuli |24 and |26 that are welded to the inner walls of respective bushings |06.

The outer end of each bushing |06 extends into an inset or re-entrant portion ||2 of the wall 39 that is shaped frusto-conically to receive the fins II3.v The smaller base of the frustum is fiat to receive the outer end of the bushing |06 and the abutting outer end of the shaft 29 or 30 that is dispos-ed therein, as hereinafter mor-e fully described. A fitting |28, provided with a longitudinally extending opening, for cooperating with an unloading chute, as described in the said application, extends through an opening in the smaller flat base of the 1re-entrant frustum portion ||2 and into the outer end of the shaft 29 or 30.

The inner end of the bushing |06 is secured, as by welding, to an annulus IIlI, to which is welded a iiange ||6. The inner diameter of the flange I I6 is just sufficient to receive an annulus I I8 through which the shaft 29 or 30 extends, and to which the shaft 29 or 30 is secured in any desired manner, as by welding. The annulus II8 is reinforced by a number of ribs |22 which may be welded both to the shaft 29 or 30 and the' annulus I I8. 'Ihe annulus I I8 is detachably fastened to the annulus I I4 in any suitable manner, as by means of machine screws or bolts |20. This detachability enables the parts to be readily separated, as for purposes of repair.

To disassemble the machine, the screws or bolts 8 and 9 are rst removed. This makes it possible l to remove the end sections 6 and 5 from the central section I0, leaving the cylinders I8 and I9 intact on their shafts. It is necessary also to unbolt the split-hub structure 23, 28. Access to the central section I0 may be obtained, for this purpose, through doors 200. The cylinder |8 and the shaft 29 upon which it is mounted may then be removed by pulling to the left, as viewed in Fig. 1. The cylinder I9 and the shaft 30 upon l which it is mounted may similarly be removed by pulling to the right. Unscrewing of the bolts or screws |20 will make it possible to detach the shaft 29 and its annulus I I8 from the cylinder I8.

A bushing 36, disposed centrally of each of the walls I6 and I1, is rigidly secured thereto at its inner end, as by welding. An inwardly project ing annulus 35 is shown welded to the inner end of the bushing 36. The bearings 3| and 32 are each provided with a bushing |29, for housing bearing rollers I3I, and each having a flange |30 that abuts against an annulus 35. The anges |30 are detachably secured to the annuli 35 in any desired manner, as by means of bolts or screws |32. The manner in which the bearings are sealed issubstantially the same as disclosed in application Serial No. 281,255, led June 26, 1939, entitled, Washing machine, of which the above-named application, Serial No.'389,633, is a continuation-in-part. The purpose of the seals, which are of circular shape, as shown, and are pressed into their respective housings, is to retain the grease and exclude dirt and other matter from the bearings. Each seal comprises a steel outer casing 206, an annular leather ring 208, and a steel spring 2|0 for maintaining a constant pressure of the leather against th-e shaft. The leather ring 208 is so constructed that the seals act also as stufling boxes to prevent the entrance of air during the hereinafter-described evacuation process. The end Walls I6 and Il of the centrally disposed section are shown reinforced by means of webs 33 and 34 that respectively radiate from the bearings 3| and 32.

It is customary, in machines of this character, to provide more or less equally spaced, longitudinally disposed, cleats, shelves or baffles that project a short distance interiorly into the inner cylinders from the cylindrical walls thereof. The baffles, preferably of U-shaped cross-section, are illustrated as of alternately large'and small size, the large-size baiTles |42 projecting into the cylinder a greater distance than the small-size baffles |44. Each large bafle |42 is disposed diametrically opposite to a small baille |44.

Let it be assumed that a large baffle |42 occupies its lowermost position. In this position, it will be eiTective to raise a load of skins, hides or the like at the bottom of the cylinder. During the rotation of the cylinders by the motor 2|, say, anti-clockwise, as viewed in Fig. 2, this large baille |42 will ride up along the right-hand wall of the cylinder to engage the skins or hides. As it engages them, it will raise them up, carrying them around along the inside of the cylinder. After they have risen to a height determined by the speed of the machine and the size of the baflles, they will drop back toward the bottom of the cylinder, on to the next adjacently dispos-ed smaller baille |44. This results in tumbling the hides or skins, as a consequence of beco'me intimately admixed with diiTerent p0rtions of the liquid contained therein. A greater load is thus obviously placed upon the motor 2|, however, at a time when the large bales |42 occupy their lowermost position in the cylinder than when the small bailles |44 are so positioned.

According to a feature of the present invention, however, the large baiiles |42 of each cylinder are alined with the small bailles |44 of the other cylinder. At a time when the large bailles |42 of one of the cylinders occupy their lowermost position, so as to be effective to carry their load upward, therefore, the large baffles I 42 of the other cylinder will then be ineiective, as the small bailles |44 of this other cylinder will then occupy their lowermost position. The load upon the motor is thus more evenly distributed.

The fluids in the end-section chambers 5 and 6 may be heated in any desired manner to heat the skins or hides in the cylinders I8 and I9. Two alternative heating constructions are illustrated in the drawings: one, by means of livesteam jets I, shown disposed at the bottoms of the chambers 5 and 6; and the other by means of steam-heating-jacket chambers |34 and |36,

which they shown provided upon the lower portions of the chambers 5 and 6. t

Steam may be admitted to the upper portlons of the chambers |34 and |36 through steam-inlet conduits or pipes |33, shown more particularly in Figs. 2 and 9. After this steam condenses in the chambers |34 and |36, the condensation may flow out through drain pipes 204, shown more particularly in Figs. 1 and 9. 'I'he live steam may be admitted to the jets I through the conduit or conduits |38 under the control of a valve |31.

The lower end of each of the walls I6 and is provided with a shelf 65, supported by an upstanding projection 66. One of the projections 66 is welded to one end of a lower wall 68, shown constituted of the upper wall of a cylindrical chamber |84. An L-shaped ilange member 10 is welded to the other end of the wall 68. The L-shaped member 'I0 may be secured to the other projection 66 by bolts or the like 69, that may be removed for purposes of disassembly. A duct chamber |80 isthus provided under the righthand shelf 65, and to the right of the right-hand .projection 66, as viewed in Fig. 1, and a duct chamber |82 is similarly provided under the lefthand shelf 65, and to the left of the left-hand projection 66. The chambers |80 and |82 are in the form of rectangular boxes welded in place in suitable openings of the walls I6 and Il. The outer vertical side walls of the chambers 80 and |82 are shown at 2I2, the inner vertical walls are shown at 65, their upper walls are provided by the shelves 65, and a continuous lower wall of the chambers is shown at 2|4. The chamber |80 communicates with the end section 5, the -chamber |82 communicates with the end section 6, and the chambers |80 and |82 communicate with each otherM through the cylindrical chamber |84. The chamber |84 is in the form of a circular pipe, welded, as before explained, in a wall opening of the chamber |80, and bolted to a wall opening in the chamber |82. The chamber |80 is connected with an outlet water drain or evacuating line of the casing I0, adjacent to the bottom thereof, and the chamber |82 with a solvent drain |88 for both end sections. The chambers thus serve as a drain; and also to equalize the level of the liquids in the sections 5 and 6.

Many hides, like ,pig and sheep skins, contain considerable animal fat or grease. One method of degreasing the hides or skins is to tumble them, in the wet state, in a suitable degreasing solvent or other fluid. As disclosed in a copending application, Serial No. 403,820, filed on July 24, 1941, by Vetorino and Robertson, the skins or hides may be degreased, while in the wet state, in a solvent containing an emulsiiier. The emulsier is desirable because, as the solvents employed are not ordinarily miscible with water, they can not penetrate the liquid with which the wet hides or skins are impregnated. The emulsion enables the degreasing fluids to penetrate the liquid-impregnated interior bre of the hides or skins, thereby to enable the solvents to remove the grease therefrom. Additional water, when needed or desired, may be supplied to the end sections 5 and 6 through a water-inlet pipe |90, controlled by a valve 236. Additional water is not always needed; suiiicient water may, for example, be already contained in the wet hides emulsier may be supplied to the chambers 5 and 6 through a solvent-inlet pipe |92, under the control of a valve |35.

|86, shown disposed laterally 'Ihe fluids thus introduced into the end-section chambers and 6 may enter the perforated cylinders I8 and I9 through the perforations 99 thereof, and through the before-mentioned openings 4I provided for the purpose of loading and unloading the cylinders.

After sufficient of the bath containing these fluids has been admitted into the chambers 5 and 6 to the desired level, the said perforated cylinders I8 and I9 are set into operation by rotating the gear 21, as before described. This results in rotating the cylinders I8 and I9. This, in turn, results in tumbling or agitating the wet hides or skins in the degreasing solvents, causing the skins or hides to become impregnated with the degreasing iluid containing the emulsier. In the emulsion, of course, the degreasing solvents are miscible with the fluids in the skins or hides. The degreasing solvents become thus enabled to penetrate the fibres to remove the fats and oils therein. In this manner, the degreasing of the hides or skins becomes facilitated.

The machine may be operated in this manner for about ten minutes, the temperature in the alrtight chambers 5 and 6 being maintained pre'ferably at from about 60 degrees F. to '75 degrees F., though it may be higher. It should be maintained suiciently high to facilitate the degreasing of the skins or hides, but not so high as to injure them. The temperature should not, for example, exceed about 100 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, depending upon Whether the hides or skins have or have not been previously tanned. If the hides or skins are subjected to too high a temperature, their collogen will become destroyed, with the result that the hides or skins will become converted into a mass of glue.

Among degreasing solvent uids that may be employed in the carrying out of the present invention may be included chlorinated hydrocarbons, such as trichlorethylene, tetrachlorethylene or perchlorethylene, methylene chloride, and naphtha or Stoddard solvent. Carbon tetrachloride may also be used. Some of these are more desirable than others. As they have different boiling points, furthermore, different degrees of vacuum may be employed, according to the solvent employed.

TWO kinds of emulsiiiers may be used with these solvents: those thatproduce oil-in-Water emulsions, in which the oil phase is dispersed in the Water phase, and those that produce Water-inoil emulsions, in Which the Water phase is dispersed in the oil phase. To produce an oil-in- Water emulsion.; a water-soluble emulsifier is iirst dissolved in Water, .the oil being added later. The oil breaks down into small globules that float in the Water. The Water is known as the liquid or external phase and the oil globules as the dispersed phase. To produce a Water-in-oil emulsion, an oil-soluble emulsier is dissolved in oil, after which Water is added. -The Water here breaks down into small globules that float in the oil. The oil is here the liquid or external phaseV and the Water is the dispersed phase. In all these cases, though the degreasing fluid is itself not miscible in Water, the emulsiiier mixes with the solvent to produce an emulsion, thus enabling the degreasing agents to penetrate the aqueous solutions with which the wet fibres of the wet skins or hides are impregnated.

eluded, in addition to such substances as soap and sulphonated cod oil, a `water-soluble fatty-alcohol sulphate, such as Duponol D paste, the sulphate of oleyl fatty alcohol, Duponol 80, the sulphate of octyl fatty alcohol, or Alkanol W. X. N., sodium naphthalene sulphonic acid, or Emulphor O. Among the water-in-oil emulsiers may be included sodium naphthanate and solvent-soluble Duponol OS, a mixture of the sulphate of oleyl alcohol and unsulphonated oleyl alcohol.

For degreasing twenty-five dozen pickled sheepskins, for example, a suitable aqueous chlorinated-hydrocarbon-Water emulsion may comprise gallons trichlorethylene, 50 gallons Water-Which Water may be already present in the wet skins or hides, so that no additional water may be required-and 5 pounds of a fattyalco hol-sulphate emulsifier, such as Duponol D paste.

At the time of initially starting the machines, fresh solvent, mixed with the emulsifler, may also be introduced into the chambers 5 and 6 from a supply source 3 (Fig. 9i) under the control of a valve 43. This may be elected with the aid of a suitable liquid pump 45, by way of a pressure line 46. The pressure line 46 is shown extending from the output sideof the pump 45 to the top of the casing I0. At a later time, reclaimed fluid may be pumped by the pump 45 into the chambers 5 and 6 from a storage tank 1 through a suction lin'e 48 and the pressure line 46. The suction line 48, which is shown leading from the storage tank 1 to the intake side of the pump 45, is provided Witha cut-olf valve 61.

The storage tank 1 is shown disposed to one side of the casing Ill, surmounted by suitable stills 50 for reclaiming the iiuid. The fluidfrom the stills 50 is fed to the storage tank 1 by way of pipe lines 5I that extend from near the upper ends of the stills 50 to a suitable atmospheric condenser 54. The condenser 54 is connected by a pipe 55, containing a sight-glass 56, to a Water separator 59 that is disposed belowthe condenser 54. A pipe-line 14, extending from the separator 59 to the top of the storage tank 1 to constitute a solvent outlet, completes the circuit w the storage tank 1 through the stills 50, the condenser 54 and the Water separator 59. The separator 59 is provided with a water outlet 51. A by-pass line 62 extends from the pressure line 46 to the lower ends of the stills 50. The by-pass line 62 is connected to the lower ends ofthe stills 66 through check valves 63 and valves 64, and to the chambers 5 and 6 by the cut-ofi` valve |35. The by-pass line 62 is connected to the upper end of the storage tank 1 by a valve 49. The storage tank 1 is provided at its upper end with an airvent 1 I.

Upon the completion of the degreasing operation, the bath may be drained from the chambers 5 and 6 through the outlet drain or evacuating line |86. The drain |86 is under the control of a valve 4. which, of course, is closed during the degreasing operation. If desired, however, the hides or skins may be separated from the bath by evacuating the fluids from the chambers 5 and 6 with the aid of the pump 45, by way of a branch solvent-outlet line 12. The line 12 is under the control of a valve 13 that is closed during the degreasing operation.l The drain |86 is connected to the intake side of the pump 45 by the branch line 12.

After the hides or skins have been thus tumbled, and after the Water and solvents contained in the end sections 5 and 6 have been drained, it is next in order, While the degreased hides or skins are still hot from the degreasing operation, to dry them, thereby to extract out of them the residual solvents or other treating fluids. This drying operation may be performed by rarifying the air in the chambers and 6, to subject the hides or skins to the action of a vacuum. To this end and, preferably, while the said perforated cylinders I8 and |9 are still operating to tumble the degreased hides or skins, the doors 44 being closed at this time, a vacuum or suction pump 16 is set into operation to exhaust or pump air from the chambers 5 and 6. The air may be pumped out of the end section 5 through a vacuum-line pipe |94 and out of the end section 6 through a pipe |96. The line |94 is shown in Fig. 9 extending from the top of the chamber 6 to one side of a suitable vacuum condenser 15. The other side of the vacuum condenser is connected to the suction side of the vacuum or suction pump 16, the discharge side of which is connected by a pressure line 11 to the atmospheric condenser 54.

The pump 16 creates a partial vacuum in the chambers 5 and 6 sufficiently high, or a pressure therein suniciently low, so that the residual solvents or other fluids still remaining in the hides or skins, after the draining of the bath, shall boil or vaporize out. If the chambers 5 and 6 are maintained closed, during the draining of the bath, a partial vacuum may be created thereby. The operation of the pump 16, in that event, will serve to increase this vacuum thus produced. Under the action of this high vacuum, the solvent is readily extracted by boiling from the hides or skins. The closed end sections 5 and 6, at this time, constitute a drying chamber.

This drying under vacuum, however, will naturally cause the hides or skins to become cooled. This is not only because of the lost latent heat of vaporization of the residual solvents and other fluids extracted from the degreased hides or skins by the boiling, but also because of the radiation losses from the machine itself. At the resulting lowered temperature, it may be diicult or impossible to remove the residual solvents still remaining in the hides or skins after the draining of the bath. To maintain the said residual solvents at the boiling point, therefore, the degree of vacuum should be increased during this cooling of the hides or skins. As the hides or skins become cooled, it may be desirable also, at this critical point, to warm the hides or skins. This may be effected by introducing additional heat in the chambers 5 and 6 during the evacuation, as by supplying steam to the jackets |34 and |36, or by introducing hot water or steam into the end sections 5 and 6. Cold water may also be used if it is then heated, as by means of the live steam, which may be through the medium of steam jets As before explained, the temperature should not ordinarily exceed about 100 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit in the case of skins or hides, as higher temperatures are liable to decompose the collogen of the skins or hides. Other media than water and steam maylalso be employed for transferring heat to the materials during the evacuation process. During this evacuating operation, the cylinders may be rotated, if desired; preferably, as during the tumbling, in the same direction continuously.

Those of the residual gases or vapors that are thus drawn out of the hides or skins by the pump 16 as are condensable are condensed in the vacuum condenser 15; and the condensed solvents are drained, by gravity, through a condensationdischarge pipe 19, disposed at the bottom of the condenser 15, into a condensed-solvent or sump tank 80. A valve 82 in a return line 8| from the sump tank 86 to the suction line 48 is at this time closed. The return line 8| is connected to the suction line 48 at a point between the cut-of! valve 61 and the liquid pump 45.

Those of the gases or vapors that are thus drawn out of the chambers 5 and 6 by the pump 16 as are non-condensable pass through the vacuum condenser 15 into the vacuum pump 16. From the pump 16, these non-condensable gases are forced through the pressure line 11 into the atmospheric condenser 54. The non-condensable gases in the condenser 54 exhaust through the separator 59 and a vent-pipe 83 at the upper end thereof, and through a. vent-line 84, into the atmosphere.

A rinse tank may be connected to the bypass line 62 by a pipe 86, under the control of a valve 81, and to the suction line 48, by a pipe 88, under the control of the valve 89. The rinse tank 85 may be connected to the vent-line 84 by a pipe 90. The atmospheric condenser 54 may be connected to the vent-line 84 by the pipe 91.

During the evacuating operation, the valves 64 in the by-pass line 62, which are closed during the degreasing operation, are opened to permit the evacuated solvents to become returned to the stills 50 by way of the pressure line 46 and the by-pass line 62. Upon the completion of the drying operation, the system is placed under atmospheric pressure once more. This may be effected by means of a normally closed valve 92 of an airinlet pipe 93 that is disposed approximately centrally of the chambers 5 and 6. The air-inlet pipe 93 and the water-inlet pipe |90 are closed during the evacuating operation, else it would not be possible to create a partial vacuum in the chambers 5 and 6. The valve 82 in the return line 8| is opened to enable the fluid in the sump tank 80 to become pumped into the chambers 5 and 6 by way of the line 8|, the pump 45, and the line 46. The valves 61 and 63 and the valve 13 in the branch line 12 are closed during this operation, and the valve |35 in the line 46 is opened, properly to control the flow of the fluid. The uid is thus reclaimed, for return to the cleaning chambers 5 and 6 and re-use.

The arrows in Fig. 9 show the path of travel of the various fluids.

.The machine thus enables the use of a high vacuum for the purpose of boiling off the residual solvents, and of a suitable heat-transfer medium for replacing the resultant and other heat losses at a suitable safe temperature. A high degree of distillation of the residual solvents is thus attained, without injury to the skins or hides.

The operations described above, or some of them, may be repeated in the case of heavy skins or hides. It may be necessary also to repeat the evacuation process until the residual solvents have all been vaporized or distilled out of the hides or skins.

The vacuum distillation of the solvent is particularly desirable when the solvent has a boiling point above about degrees F. The vacuum distillation may not, however, be needed in other cases, as when methylene chloride is employed. In the case of methylene chloride and similar solvents, moreover, the temperature employed may be rather low, because the boiling point of methylene chloride is about 103 degrees F.

At the end of about ten to fifteen minutes of vacuum distillation, the solvent will become substantially completely distilled out of the skins or hides, whereupon they may be removed from the degreasing machine, and subjected to the usual coloring and fat-liquoring processes, and to the addition of oils, Where needed, to make the bres of the leather more flexible.

Both during the degreasing and the extracting cycles, the machine is in perfect balance, each cylinder, with its load, serving as a counterweight for the other. The same is true when the machine is used for treating other materials with other treating fluids.

Modifications will occur to persons skilled in the art, and all such are considered to fall within the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A machine of the character described having, in combination, a casing for containing a degreasing fluid, a shaft, a bearing in which the shaft is journaled and beyond which an end of the shaft extends, a cylinder in the casing for containing hides or skins to be degreased, the cylinder having an open-ended wall and a Wall disposed opposite thereto, the cylinderbeing carried by the shaft at the oppositely disposed wall, means for counterbalancing the cylinder, and means for actuating the shaft to actuate the cylinder in the casing to cause the hides or skins to become degreased by the degreasing fluid, means for draining the degreasing fluid, means for applying heat to the degreased hides or skins in the cylinder, and means for evacuating the casing to subject the hides or skins in the cylinder to the action of a vacuum.

2. A machine of the character described having, in combination, a casing for containing a degreasing fluid, a shaft, means centrally disposed of the shaft for actuating the shaft, a bearing disposed at each end of the centrally disposed means, the shaft being journaled in the bearings with its end projecting beyond the respective bearings, two cylinders in the casing for containing hides or skins to be degreased, the cylinders each having an open-ended end wall and an end wall disposed opposite thereto, the cylinders being carried on and supported solely by the respective ends of the shaft, each at its oppositely disposed end wall, the cylinders being actuable in the casing in response to the actuation of the shaft to cause the hides or skins to become degreased by the degreasing fluid, means, for draining the degreasing uid, means for applying heat to the degreased hides or skins in the Cylinders, and means for evacuating the casing to subject the hides or skins in the cylinders to the action of a vacuum.

3. A machine of the character described having, in combination, a casing having a centrally disposed section bounded by oppositely disposed walls and an end section disposed at each end of the centrally disposed section, one beyond each of the respective walls, the end sections being adapted to contain a degreasing fluid, a bearing carried by each of the walls in the centrally disposed section, a shaft journaled in the bearings with its ends projecting beyond the respective bearings into the respective end sections, a cylinder for containing hides or skins to be degreased disposed in each section, the cylinders each having end Walls and being carried by the respective ends of the shaft, each at one of the end walls, the other end walls of the cylinders each being provided with an opening alined with the opening in the wall of the corresponding end section, means disposed in the centrally disposed section between the bearings for actuating the shaft, the cylinders being actuable in the casing in response to the actuation of the shaft to cause the hides or skins to become degreased by the degreasing fluid, means for draining the degreasing fluid, means for applying heat to the degreased hides or skins in the cylinders, and means for evacuating the casing to subject the hides or skins in the cylinders to the action of a vacuum.

4. A machine of the character described having, in combination, a casing for containing a degreasing fluid, a shaft, a bearing in which the shaft is journaled and beyond which the ends of the shaft extend, two cylinders in the casing for containing hides or skins to be degreased, the cylinders each having an open-ended end wall and an end wall disposed opposite thereto, the cylinders being carried on and supported solely by the respective ends of the shaft, each at its oppositely disposed end wall, means for reinforcing the said oppositely disposed end Wall, means for actuating the shaft to actuate the cylinders in the casing to cause the hides or skins to become degreased by the degreasing fluid, means for draining the degreasing fluid, means for applying heat to the degreased hides or skins in the cylinders, and means for evacuating the casing to subject the hides or skins in the cylinders to the action of a vacuum.

5. Amachine of the character described having, in combination, a casing for containing av degreasing fluid, a shaft, a bearing in which the shaft is journaled and beyond which the ends of the shaft extend, two cylinders in the casing foi` containing hides or skins to be degreased, the cylinders each having an open-ended wall and a wall disposed opposite thereto, the cylinders being carried by the respective ends of the shaft, each at its oppositely disposed wall, means for actuating the shaft to actuate the cylinders in the casing to cause the hides or skins to become degreased by the degreasing fluid, means for draining the degreasing fluid, means for app1y ing heat to the degreased hides or skins in the cylinders, and means for evacuating the casing to subject the hides or skins in the cylinders to the action of a vacuum.

6. A machine of the character described having, in combination, a casing having a centrally disposed section and an end section disposed at each end of the centrally disposed section, the end sections each having an outer wall provided with an opening, the end sections being adapted to contain a degreasing fluid, a bearing disposed in the centrally disposed section, a shaft journaled in the bearing with its ends projecting beyond the bearing, a cylinder for containing hides or skins to be degreased disposed in each end section. the cylinders each havingend walls and being carried by the respective ends of the shaft, each at one of the end walls, the other end walls'of the Cylinders each being provided with an opening alined with the opening in the wall 4of the corresponding' end section, means supported by the centrally disposed section for actuating the shaft to actuate the cylinders in the respective end sections to cause the hides or skins to become degreased by the degreasing fluid, means for draining the degreasing fluid, means for applying heat to the degreased hides or skins in the cylinders, and means for evacuating the casing to subject the hides or skins in the cylinders to the action of a vacuum.

7. A machine of the character described having,

in combination, a casing for containing a degreasing fluid, two actuable cylinders in the casing for containing hides or skins to be degreased, the cylinders each being interlorly provided with alternately disposed relatively large and relatively small baflles for respectively assuming loads contained in the respective cylinders, means for actuating the cylinders in the casing to cause the hides or skins to become degreased by the degreasing fluid, means for rendering the relatively largey baflles of either cylinder effective to assume the load in the said cylinder at a time during the actuation of the cylinders when the relatively small bailles of the other cylinder are rendered effective to engage the load in the said other cylinder, means for draining the degreasing fluid, means for applying heat to the degreased hides or skins in the cylinders, and means for evacuating the casing to subject the hides or skins in the cylinders to the action of a vacuum.

8. A machine of the character described having, in combination', a casing for containing a degreasing fluid, two axially alined actuable cylinders in the casing for containing hides or skins to be degreased, the cylinders each being interiorly provided with alternately disposed relatively large and relatively small baffles, the relatively large baliles of each cylinder being alined with the relatively small baflles of the other cylinder, means for actuating the cylinders as a unit to cause the hides or skins to become degreased by the degreasing fluid, means for draining the degreasing fluid, means for applying heat to the degreased hides or skins in the cylinders, and means for evacuating the casing to subject the hides or skins in the cylinders to the action of a vacuum.

9` A machine of the character described having, in combination, a casing for containing a degreasing fluid, a cylinder in the casing for containing hides or skins to be degreased, the cylinder being rotatable about its axis but being nonrotatable about any other axis, means for rotating the cylinder about its axis in the casing to cause the hides or skins to become degreased by the degreasing fluid, the cylinder having an openended wall, means for draining the degreasing fluid, means for applying heat to the degreased hides or skins 4in the cylinder, and means for evacuating the casing to subject the hides or skins in the cylinder to the action of a vacuum.

10. A machine of the character described having, in combination, a casing for containing a degreasing fluid, a shaft, a bearing in which the shaft is journaled and beyond which an end of the shaft extends, a cylinder in the casing for containing hides or skins to be degreased, the cylinder having end walls, the cylinder being carried by the said end of the shaft at one of the end walls, a spider for reinforcing the said end wall, the spider comprising an outer ring, a concentrically disposed inner bushing, radially disposed reinforcing beams connecting the ring and the bushing, reinforcing beams connecting adjacently disposed radially disposed beams, fins carried by the radially disposed beams and secured to the bushing, and an annulus secured to the inner Wall of the bushing, the shaft being disposed in the annulus, the said end wall having a re-entrant portion shaped to receivethe fins, an end of the bushing and the said end of the shaft, means for actuating the shaft to actuate the cylinder in the casing to cause the hides or skins to become degreased by the degreasing fluid, means for draining the degreasing fluid, means for applying heat to the degreased hides or skins in the cylinder, and means for evacuating the casing to subject the hides or skins in the cylinder to the action of a vacuum.

11. A machine of the character described having, in combination, a casing for containing a degreasing fluid, a shaft, a bearing in which the shaft is journaled and beyond which an end of the shaft extends, a cylinder' in the casing for containing hides or skins to be degreased, the cylinder having end walls, the cylinder being carried by the said end ofA the shaft at one 0f the end walls, a spider for reinforcing the said end wall, the spider comprising a bushing in which the shaft is disposed and a plurality of beams extending radially of the bushing, the bushing being provided with an annulus, the shaft having an annulus, means for detachably securing the annuli together to detachably secure the spider to the shaft, means for actuating the shaft to actuate the cylinder in the casing to cause the hides or skins to become degreased in the degreasing fluid, means for draining the degreasing fluid, means for applying heat to the degreased hides or skins in the cylinder, and means for evacuating the casing to subject the hides or skins in the cylinder to the action of a vacuum.

12. A machine of the character described having, in combination, a casing for containing a. degreasing fluid, a shaft, a bearing in which the shaft is journaled and beyond which an end of the shaft extends, a cylinder in the casing for containing hides or skins to be degreased, the cylinder having an open-ended wall and a wall disposed opposite thereto, the cylinder being carried by the shaft at `the oppositely disposed wall, means for actuating the shaft to actuate the cylinder in the casing to cause the hides or skins to become degreased by the degreasing uid, means for draining the degreasing fluid, means for applying heat to the degreased hides or skins in the cylinder, and means for evacuating the casing to subject the hides or skins in the cylinder to the action of a vacuum.

13. A machine of the character described having, in combination, a casing for containing a degreasing fluid, a shaft, a bearing in which the shaft is journaled and beyond which the ends of the shaft extend, two cylinders in the casing for containing hides or skins to be degreased, the cylinders each having an open-ended wall and a wall disposed opposite thereto, the cylinders being carried by the respective ends of the shaft, means for actuating the shaft to actuate the cylinders in the casing to cause the hides or skins to become degreased by the degreasing fluid, and means for applying heat to the degreased hides or skins in the cylinders.

14. A machine of the character described having, in combination, two housings each adapted to contain a degreasing fluid and each having an inner wall and an outer wall, the inner walls being oppositely disposed and being provided with oppositely disposed alined bearings, the outer walls being each provided with an opening, a rotatable shaft journaled in the bearing with its ends projecting into the respective housings, means for actuating the shaft, cylinders for containing hides or skins to be degreased disposed in the respective housings, the degreasing fluid being adapted to enter the cylinders, the cylinders each having an inner end Wall and an outer end wail, each outer end wall being provided adjacent to the corresponding housing outer wall with an opening alined with the corresponding housing end-wall opening, the cylinders being fixed to the respective ends of the shaft at their inner end walls to rotate with the shaft in their respective housings, thereby to "cause the hides or skins to become degreased by the degreasing fluid, each cylinder being adapted to be loaded with hides or skins and to be unloaded through the opening in its outer end wall and the housing end wall alined therewith, and

means for applying heat Ato the degreased hides or skins in the cylinders.

15. A machineof the character described having, in combination, acasing for containing a degreasing fluid, a rotatable'shaft, a bearing in which the shaft'i's journaled and beyond which the ends of the shaft extend, two cylinders disposed vin the casing iorcontaining hides or skins to be degreased, the cylinders each having an inner end wall and an outer end wall, each outer end wall being provided with an opening, the cylinders being xed to the respective ends of the shaft at their inner end walls to rotate with the shaft, the cylinders being unsupported except for the support provided by the respective ends of the shaft at therinner end walls of the cylinders, whereby each cylinder constitutes a counterweight for the other cylinder, means for rotating the shaft to rotate the cylinders in the casing to cause the hides or skins tobecome degreased byV the degreasing. uid, leachcylinder being adapted to be loaded with skins or' hides and'to be unloaded through the opening in its ,outer end wall, andmeans vfor applyinggheat to the degreased hides or skins in the cylinders.

' JOHN E. VETORINO. 

